Disclosure Ref: 4 sent 26/2

Freedom of Information Act 2000 Request

Details of steps taken by the CPS as a result of disclosure issues raised in the CPS Inspectorate in 2017

Request

As result of the CPS Inspectorate report dated summer 2017, regarding disclosure and the problems the CPS had with addressing disclosure as at the date of the report, what steps did the CPS take, jointly with any other organisation and/or separately, to address the recommendations that the CPS Inspectorate made to tackle the problems it had identified with the disclosure process?

Response

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) takes most seriously the findings of Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) in their joint thematic inspection of Crown Court disclosure. Steps taken to address these findings included reviewing the process by which disclosure is quality assured, and tasking the CPS’s senior managers in each geographical area to improve performance within their teams. However, it is also clear that some of the issues identified in the report and elsewhere are systemic, and cannot be fixed in isolation. The commitment of all partner organisations in the criminal justice system is required.

Information Management Unit 020 3357 0899 FOI.Unit@cps.gsi.gov.uk